Hogjim's Official Blog

Music Spotlight: Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers is a folk/country/rock band from Tyler, Texas. One of my favorite aspects of this band is the artfully crafted lyrics. Couple that with a clean but subtly raspy voice and wonderful guitar musicianship, and you get one incredible band. I love CMT's description of the band: 

"Ultimately, the bigger truth is that Whiskey Myers is sort of inexplicable. With its superb twin-lead guitars, Cody Cannon’s rough-cut lead vocals and a solid, uncluttered rhythm section, the band typically winds around a Lynyrd Skynyrd/Led Zeppelin-centered foundation, veering off in spokes of grunge, psychedelia, harmony-laden pop-rock and rockabilly. It’s a Southern-rock band with jam-band tendencies. Maybe."

My favorite songs include 'Virginia,' 'Ballad of a Southern Man,' and 'Early Morning Shakes.' Below is a live version of 'Guitar Picker,' which demonstrates their soulful lyrics and incredible guitar. 

You can follow Whiskey Myers on Twitter @whiskeymyers. Their music is available here.

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor is a band comprised of two brothers from Dublin, Ireland. The dueling guitars coupled with fascinating harmonic overtones produce a wonderful output of music. Their sound is a mix of Mumford & Sons, The Head & The Heart, and a touch of their own unique volume. My favorite songs include their recently released Chasing Rubies, Beautiful Mistake, and Battles. 

You can follow Hudson Taylor on Twitter @HudsonTaylor. Their music is available here. 

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Good Old War

Good Old War is an indie/folk band from Philadelphia, PA. This band was a pioneer for me in terms of developing a taste for the indie/folk genre. One listen to Coney Island, and I was hooked on the spectacular foundation of guitar and vocals. Last.Fm's description of the band is wonderful: 

"Good Old War radiates with warmth and vulnerability, both qualities undoubtedly cultivated by the band’s hands-on self-production, and the environment of solitude in which their music [album] was created."

From My Own Sinking Ship, to Better Weather, to That's Some Dream, the everlasting melodies and beautiful synchronizing of vocals leads to an incredible sound. 

Good Old War is currently in the midst of a PledgeMusic campaign, raising funds for their new album. You can find out more and contribute to Good Old War's production of their new record here, and below.

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Twin Forks

Twin Forks is a folk-rock band from Boca Raton, Florida. If you're familiar with Dashboard Confessional or Chris Carrabba, you will quickly recognize the vocals in Twin Forks. In a February 2014 interview with USA Today, Carrabba described the difference between Dashboard Confessional and Twin Forks as "Having the hopefulness, the joy and the celebration right on the surface."

"Having the hopefulness, the joy and the celebration right on the surface is something that makes it new and exciting"- Carrabba on Twin Forks

I really enjoy the free-falling feeling of the folky guitar layered with Carrabba's vocals. Two of my favorite songs include Cross My Mind and Plans. The lyrics are heavy with joy and emotion, providing for an incredible production when everything is put together into a song.

You can follow Twin Forks on Twitter @TwinForksMusic. Their music is available here.

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Rend Collective

Rend Collective is a worship celebration band out of Northern Ireland. The style of this band can best be described as indie rock, coupled with folky overtones that bask in the glory of gripping, loving lyrics. Rend Collective described their style in their March 2014 album release of The Art of Celebration: 

"We had a kind of theological breakthrough as a band this year that sparked the concept behind the whole record: seriousness isn't a spiritual gift ... but joy is!"

Rend Collective has this special combination of guitar, vocals, and melody that truly bring out the essence of music. My favorite songs include My Lighthouse & Joy.

You can follow Rend Collective on Twitter @rendcollective. Their albums are available here. 

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Brandon Rhyder

Brandon Rhyder is a country artist from Georgetown, Texas. Rhyder has four times topped the Texas music charts. It's easy to see why, too. Country music is built on story telling, rich guitar, and soulful melodies, and Rhyder's music is built on that foundation. I love Rhyder's quote cataloged on his CMT page:

“I could escape in music. I love words. I love being my own guy. It's not something that I sought to achieve, but I just see words and chords and songs differently than many.”

My two favorite songs include Movin' Too Fast and Haggard. 

You can follow Brandon Rhyder on twitter @brandonrhyder. His albums are available here. 

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Reckless Kelly

Reckless Kelly is a country band formed in Bend, Oregon and based in Austin, Texas. Sometimes you come across a band that can throw a bunch of instruments together, lay down some incredible vocals, and the whole thing just fits together like the last piece to an incomplete puzzle.

Their 2011 album, Good Luck & True Love, sent three singles to #1 on Texas radio. In 2013, the band released their most recent album Long Night Moon. My favorite songs include Stick Around, the self titled track to their 2011 album Good Luck & True Love, and Idaho from Long Night Moon.  

Reckless Kelly's sound can be described as heart-felt, down to earth country music. You can find their music here. You can follow them on twitter @recklesskelly.

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Stoney Larue

Stoney Larue is a country artist from Texas raised in Southeastern Oklahoma. Larue's voice is filled with a homey integrity that transforms into this kind of smokey folk-like sound when coupled with the guitar. CMT describes Larue's music as: 

"Rootsy, emotionally honest sound of country with the swagger of heartland rock and a dash of the moody undercurrents of the blues"

It's easy to spot the genuinely country sound, exemplified in songs like Look At Me Fly, Love You for Loving Me, & First One To Know. 

Currently on tour, you can find out more about Stoney Larue here. His new album, Aviator, debuts on October 27, 2014. His albums are available here. You can follow Stoney on twitter @stoneylarue.

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Turnpike Troubadours

Today's music spotlight features the Turnpike Troubadours, described as a "gritty, country-leaning roots rock band" out of Oklahoma. I really love the sound of this group. Each song tells a different story, with raw emotion effectively emanating through each instrument. Last.fm's description of the band is wonderful: 

"Cutting their teeth in roadside dance halls and honky-tonks has made a serious impact on the band’s musical style, which walks the line between Woody Guthrie and Waylon Jennings." 

My favorite songs include Diamonds & Gasoline, Good Lord Lorrie, and Wrecked. 

From the sultry vocals to the impactful lyrics, Turnpike Troubadours' music is a refreshing change of pace. You can follow them on twitter @TpTroubadours. Their music is available here. 

Hogjim is a small business specializing in innovative guitar gear. To check out some of their products, click here.

Music Spotlight: Lucky Boys Confusion

Established in the suburbs of Chicago in 1997, Lucky Boys Confusion (LBC) has captured the hearts of many in the midwest for nearly two decades. From their debut album Growing Out Of It, which featured 'Arizona Stand' & 'Fred Astaire' (among others), to their 2003 release of Commitment and beyond, LBC's unique style of rock, cut with a hint of punk and ska, is somewhat of a hidden gem in the music scene.

Those who have been fortunate enough to discover LBC will tell you that the band is one of their favorites- though everyone has a different opinion on what their favorite song is. From the aforementioned 'Arizona Stand' & 'Fred Astaire,' to 'Breaking Rules,' 'City Lights, 'Atari,' and 'Bossman,' you would be hard-pressed to find two fans who agreed on what their favorite LBC song is. And that's what I love about this band. Each song tells its own story, perfectly designed from opening to end, and each evoking a different yet equally captivating emotion.

One of my favorites is Fred Astaire. From its brash style and honest lyrics to its crescendo from a slow pace to a million miles an hour, the story behind Fred Astaire is just as incredible as the song. Stuby Pandhav, the lead singer of LBC, recently wrote about the writing process of 'Fred Astaire': 

"In the midst of singing the second chorus, I decided what was missing in this equation was me. The narrator’s voice needed to be heard to give a different angle to this story. I was just going to sing from my perspective and just drop the conversation for a few lines."

That quote sums up the band perfectly: A combination of perspectives that when put together, creates incredible music. 

Cluttered with songs about heartbreak, nostalgia, growing up and 'sticking it to the man,' LBC has defined a generation of fans in the midwest, and we're all truly blessed to be a part of it. 

You can follow Lucky Boys Confusion on Twitter @luckybc4080. You can find their albums here.

Hogjim is known for its invention of the 'Pik Tik'. The Pik Tik helps build a guitarist’s skill
set, offering a quick and easy way for the user to transition from finger-style to flat-picking. For more on Hogjim's guitar accessories, check out their products page.